Lost and Found
by Lady Baby Doll
Summary: Amy is a child social worker. The child she has just rescued has been snatched from her arms once more, and she acquires the help of a man named Zoicite. A man who is plagued by dark nightmares. A man who Amy finds herself irresistibly drawn towards..
1. Chapter 1

**HEY guys!! I know that I didn't do my other story, and please don't hate me for it. But I just got REALLY lazy. I swear I will do it…I just need a change of plots every now and again, so I decided to start on this one. Umm…it's not gonna be long…I'm gonna do short chapter instalments. So yeah, I hope u enjoy it. Ciao.**

Amy sat in her rocking chair bouncing a young girl in her lap. She smiled at the delightful bursts of laugher and first of giggles that came from the child. Her name was Mara and, and Amy had just recently rescued her form a home life that would have made a P.O.W cringe.

"Aah-mee," the child squealed ( she couldn't quite pronounce Amy) as she was being tickled. Amy laughed and kissed Mara's snub nose.

"Maa-raa," she mimicked, and laughed as Mara pouted, and then stuck her tongue out.

Amy was a woman who had been cast from a different stone. She had a beauty that was all her own, but her true beauty lay deep within her, beneath the beauty of the skin. She was about 5, 6 and had a complexion of face and body that was milk-pale. Her eyes were dark blue, and wide-spaced giving her an innocent, naïve look that was at odds to the expression within them. Her mouth was wide, with just a hint of an overbite. Her hair was so black that it was almost blue, and people often asked her if she had dyed her hair a dark blue, and Amy always laughed at the question, imagining herself with bright blue hair. It was cut to just below her shoulder blades. She had grown it out since high school, and she liked to wear it a bit longer than usual.

Amy was a Child and Youth Caregiver, and she often wondered where the jump from doctor to this had happened.

She stared down at Mara, who was now busily sucking her thumb looking worried, and Amy laughed softly.

Mara glanced up at her and smiled, revealing crooked teeth. Amy laughed again, and then held Mara up.

"What are you worried about darling?" she asked, rubbing Mara's nose with her own. "You don't ever need to worry about anything again. From now on, you're going to be the happiest baby in the world."

Mara cooed, and Amy laughed and hugged her to her chest. The look in the child's eyes now was very different from what it had been. She remembered when she had first gotten Mara out, the look of pure panic and pain in her eyes. The helpless look of fear.

Amy shuddered as she remembered Mara's father, a man who didn't understand the beauty and innocence of children, and who had represented everything ugly and evil in the world.

Amy remembered the bruises on Mara's pale face and body. She remembered the dark handprints and fingernail marks. She also remembered how Mara had hated being touched, and had absolutely hated men in general. Amy didn't exactly blame her. She was almost at that stage herself.

There was a brisk knock at the door and both Amy and Mara jumped. Amy set her down and ran to the door, peeking through the eye-hole.

"Brendan," she said happily, and flung open the door, a big smile on her face. Brendan had finished university with her and he was like a brother that she could always depend on. He was a lawyer, and with his help, Amy hadn't ever had to let a child through a bad life just because the parents could afford high priced lawyers that found loopholes in the system.

Brendan smiled at her and held out his arms, "Come and give daddy a big hug," he hollered, and Amy burst out laughing.

"Maybe some other time," she said, and walked to where Mara was sitting on the carpet. She picked her up, and sat down looking at him expectantly.

"Well," she asked him. "Did you do the back-ground check on the Riley's?"

He nodded at her while making monkey faces at Mara who was laughing joyously.

"Is everything good then?" Amy asked him, her voice growing softer.

He straightened up, his face growing serious.

"Yeah," he said. "They're perfect, just what she needs."

Amy nodded, and glanced downwards at Mara who was still looking at Brendan, expecting him to make a stupid face any second.

Amy stood up. "Let me put Mara to bed," she said quietly. "I'll be right back, and we can talk more."

She got up and carried Mara upstairs, and put her to bed, tucking her in with loving words. Mara tried to grab at her hair, and Amy nipped her hands, softly sinking her teeth into Mara's knuckles. Amy kissed the top of Mara's head, and then tucked the covers around her.

"Good night sweetheart," she murmured. "Tomorrow's a big day for you. Tomorrow's the day that you get to meet your new mummy and daddy."

Mara smiled sleepily, and then sighed sinking into her covers. Amy stood up and shook her head. No matter what, the doctors seemed to be right about the child. She did have a mental deficiency. She wasn't like a normal child of 5, and Amy was worried that the deficiency would stick and Mara would never be able to live a normal life.

She walked out of the room, and softly clicked on the night light, before closing the door behind her.

She walked out to where Brendan was sitting on the couch, and stood next to him.

"Do you want something to drink," she asked him.

"No, thank you" he replied, and stood up and put his arms around her. "How many times have I told you Amy, not to get attached to them?"

Amy nodded, looking down at the floor, and was surprised to feel a silent tear slip out and slide down her face. Brendan tipped her head up and gently kissed the tear away.

"Poor baby," he murmured, and hugged her to him, gently sliding his hands up and down her back. "You're not cut out for this are you?"

Amy swallowed, and pulled back. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm just really tired today, and I feel worn out."

"Well, I'm not here just to tell you about the Riley's. We have a problem." He paused, "A really big problem."

Amy looked at him, frightened by the look on his face.

"What?" she asked wearily, not sure how much more she could handle today.

"Mara's father, he got out. He's out of jail."

**That's it for now. I know it's kind of slow, but I'll get it started soon. Exams coming up in a week, and I happen to have math and chemistry exam on the same day. Arent I the luckiest gal in the world. Anyway, read and review. Please. Oh an btw, this is a Amy and Zoicite story. Umm….is that it? Yeah I think. Anyway, please review, tell me what u think. Allllllrighty toodles baby cakes!**


	2. Chapter 2

Amy sat on her rocker, her quilt pulled tight around her and the fire blazing in the fireplace. It seemed that no matter what she did, she couldn't fight off the chill that she felt in her bones. Logically, she knew it was coming from within, because she couldn't detect a chill in the air, but she just couldn't deal with getting up and making a cup of coffee.

She stared blankly ahead, trying to regulate her breathing and figure out what to do. She knew she was safe for a while, her address was protected and there was no way Mara's father would be able to figure out her real address, it was strictly confidential and well guarded. And yet, Brendan's announcement had set her heart racing and no matter what she did, she couldn't bring it back to normal patterns.

She thought of Mara sleeping upstairs and remembered the pain and suffering the little girl had gone through at the hands of her "father," Daniel. Her lips twisted in a facsimile of a smile.

"God is my judge, indeed" she murmured, her fingers tightening in her lap as his face appeared in her mind's eye. The dark eyes and the florid complexion, and the big, beefy build of his body, the way that he carried an air of violence and cruelty around with him, everything about him made Amy cold to the core.

Amy didn't think of him as her father any longer, in her mind he gave up that right as soon as he had laid a hand on little Mara. However, she knew that he still thought of himself as Mara's father and as such she knew he believed he had the right to Mara. And to a man such as Daniel, that meant the right to do whatever he wished and whenever he wished it, he was that much of a selfish and egocentric man who had little to no empathy for others, including his own child.

Mara had never talked about what happened between her and her father. Even when Amy had taken her away from the city and the two of them had been together, alone and safe, away from prying eyes and city noise, Mara still hadn't shared anything about the pain she went through in her short, heartbreaking life.

Besides, Amy had seen Mara's bruising and reviewed the notes from the hospital when Mara had been picked up. She knew all she needed to know about Mara's past.

Amy sighed and stretched, arching and throwing her head back. Maybe she and Mara should go back to that quiet little spot. It was always peaceful and beautiful, and the only ones who knew of it were a handful of people at work, and Amy trusted them with her life. They would never reveal the location of that little house, even under torture. Amy was sure of it.

She shook her head and laughed as she stood up. "I must be getting paranoid in my old age," she muttered to herself as she padded through her house, turning off the lights as she went. She and Mara were safe in the city, there was no need to up and leave to some remote location. Just because Daniel had managed to trick everyone in the judicial system didn't mean that he would be able to find the location of her home and track them down.

She couldn't believe that he had been let free, after what he had done to Mara. She knew he had money and connections, and she knew that the world worked on money and connections, but she couldn't help but feel let down by the society she was in, a society which allowed such blatant use of money and power. It was at times like these that she wondered whether she really should retire, and move onto something else in her life. Something that wasn't so frustrating and shattering.

Amy tiptoed into Mara's room and quietly approached the bed. Mara had always slept on her side, rolled up into a tiny ball, often referred to as the fetal position. Recently, however, Amy had noticed that Mara began to sleep on her back, with her arms extended outwards, palms up. A position which was defenceless and perfect for a little girl of 5 years old, and which made Amy thrill in her heart, knowing that Mara was starting to feel safe and secure in her surroundings. It was in this way that Amy found Mara sleeping now, her arms and legs stretched out as far as they would go. Bathed in the warm glow of her nightlight, Amy could see a faint smile on Mara's little face, and Amy almost felt her heart expand in her chest as her eyes filled with tears.

She knelt next to Mara and softly kissed her cheek, and nuzzled her hair. "I'll never let anything happen to you, little one" she whispered, her voice soft but fierce with determination. "Never again."

The next day Amy sat at her desk, nursing a huge cup of coffee as she stared at the paperwork in front of her. Set free. He had been set free. He had demonstrated "a powerful regret for the pain he had caused, as well as knowledge of the moral and ethical faults of his actions.." blah blah blah.

Amy rolled her eyes and physically refrained from tearing the paperwork to shreds with her teeth. She was Brendan strolling towards her and she smiled at him, knowing she must look like hell and that Brendan would probably comment on it without compunction.

"You look like shit," Brendan said flatly, his mouth drawn tight with disapproval and a hint of something else Amy couldn't place.

She shot him a death look and chucked a pen at his head which he nonchalantly ducked.

"It's all your fault," Amy grumbled as she rearranged the papers to put back into the filing system. "You with your crappy timing and your crappy news, you made me stay up all night!"

She finished organizing the folder and sat down in a huff. She looked up at Brendan through her lashes, and suddenly her filled with tears. With the dark smudges of a sleepless night under her eyes and her skin paler than ever, she looked as fragile and soft as a moonflower.

Brendan, watching her, had to clench and unclench his fists to prevent reaching out to her and holding her against himself. He knew that Amy wouldn't think anything of it but it would still add fuel to the already rampant speculations of the relationship which he and Amy shared.

"Why don't you go home," he said instead, chucking her under the chin. "Read a good book, get some sleep?"

Amy smiled at him, pushing her tears away and tossing her gleaming hair over her shoulders, her mouth firming. "No," she said. "I have to pick up Mara from school today and take her to see the Riley's, remember? I told her I would introduce them today, and she was very excited about it. I can't take that away from her."

She attempted to smile at Brendan, though it felt as if her face was going to crack in two.

"I'm fine, really!" She chirped brightly while beaming at him, as he stared at her dubiously. "I'm just going to try to be strong and not worry about it, worrying doesn't get us anywhere anyway, right?"

Brendan nodded his head slowly, while still looking dubious, and the effect was so comical that Amy felt a bubble of laughter escape her, and her chest loosened a tiny bit.

She circled around her office, and pulled Brendan in for a hug. "I'm fine!" she said, her voice firm with conviction. "I have to stop acting like such a weak, fragile female all the time. And you shouldn't encourage me to be so vulnerable!"

"You always want me to depend on you or to let you handle things; you don't want me to be a strong, powerful woman in my own right..." Amy kept up the steady stream of complaints, most of which Brendan had been hearing since their first year of university together, as she gently but firmly manoeuvred him out the door and shooed him off to his own duties.

A few hours later Amy stood outside of Mara's school, leaning against a tree and watching the front doors, waiting for that moment when Mara would come racing through the doors and, upon seeing her, run towards her, crying out with glee. Amy had gone home and quickly changed into more comfortable clothing, and was now wearing a simple cream silk blouse, jeans, and a pair of beige pumps. The suits and power skirts she had to wear for work were stifling and made her feel uncomfortable.

Amy heard the shrill of the school bell and the school doors burst open almost immediately. Amy straightened up and narrowed her eyes against the sun, scanning the sea of children for the familiar mop of shaggy brown hair and dark eyes she had become so accustomed to.

"Ah-mee," she heard a second before spotting Mara, her little feet pumping as she tried to reach Amy as swiftly as possible, and Amy felt her heart give a little in her chest.

She kneeled down just as Mara reached her and almost toppled her over.

"Mara!" She gasped, trying to regain her balance. "Slow down, honey. Easy." She looked into Mara's smiling, laughing face and she suddenly knew. She knew she was a horrible person and a weak person too, and she had probably known all along that she would do this but just hadn't allowed it to come to her conscious mind.

"Ah-mee, I got a star on my homework and Miss Luna said I'm getting mush better at weading and we're gonna go to a play nexsht week.." Mara prattled on and on about school and classes, and Amy watched her, smiling and exclaiming at the appropriate intervals, content to just listen to her chatter.

"Would you like to go get some icecream, Mara?"Amy asked her once she was able to get a word in, edgewise. "We could get some really cold gelato, and you can tell me all about this play you're going to!"

"Yay!" Mara squealed and jumped up right away. "Lethgo go go!"

And with an indulgent smile, Amy allowed herself to be dragged away from school, feeling equal parts of relief and guilt because her decision had been made, and whether it was right or wrong didn't matter to her anymore.

**Hey, everyone. Just a couple of author's notes to add. I know it's been over 2 years since I've written aaanything, and during that time I haven't had the chance to read many novels either so my writing may be a bit choppy at first, so please bear with me. Also, i know in the first chapter Mara was just a child, but I decided to make her a bit older. A bit more aware of what's going on around her, and I think that's the only change I've made? I'm not too sure at the moment haha. I may change the rating on this to MA soon, I'm not sure yet. Please let me know what you think! And thank you for reading =)**


End file.
